This invention relates generally to insulation displacement wire connectors and, more specifically, to wire connectors that allow one person to quickly connect two electrical wires to each other without the aid of tools and without having to cut or remove the insulation from either of the wires.
Although the wire connector may be used in many fields one of the fields that the invention is well suited for use is the tracer wire field since frequently branch wires are formed into electrical connection with a tracer wire. For example, the tracer wire field periodically requires one to form electrical branch connections to the tracer wire without cutting the tracer wire, which may follow an underground feature such as a pipeline. Examples of various types of tracer wire connectors can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,179,114; U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,637,774; 7,950,956; 7,093,858 and 7,179,114. Typically, to connect two wires together may require one hand to hold a set of wires in position for electrical engagement while also supporting one section of a two-part connector and with the other hand align a second section of the two-part connector with the first section of the two-part connector. Next, one engages the parts of the two-part connector to each other to form an electrical connection of the wires therein. Connections that require wire alignment before securement are typically best suited for two people since one person can hold the wires in position while the other person aligns the wires and engages the two parts of the two-part wire connector with each other.